Co-vulcanizable mixes of an amorphous ethylene-alpha olefin copolymer and polyisobutylene and vulcanized elastomers thereof having low permeability to gases



Jan. 17, 1967 c. BORGHESE 3,299,183

CO-VULCANIZABLE MIXES OF AN AMORPHOUS ETHYLENE-ALPHA OLEFIN COPOLYMER AND POLYISOBUTYLENE AND VULCANIZED ELASTOMERS THEREOF HAVING LOW PERMEABILITY TO GASES Filed Oct. 24, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 F I6; I.

8 I4 x l o E 1 l .I i l2 V 3 2 ll y 0,! 0 o '0 /D 5 C! 9 5/ 8 O a 7 D/ 6% 0 IO 20 3O 4O 5O 6O 7O 8O 90 I00 POLYISOBUTENE.% BY WT.

INVENTOR CAMILLO BORGHESE ELM Q N ATTORNEY.

Jan. 17, 1967 c. BORGHESE 3,299,183

CO-VULCANIZABLB MIXES OF AN AMORPHOUS ETHYLENE-ALPHA OLEFIN COPOLYMER AND POLYISOBUTYLENE AND VULCANIZED ELASTOMERS THEREOF HAVING LOW PERMEABILITY TO GASES Filed Oct. 24, 1961 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 1o a0 so on e0 941% Jan. 17, 1967 A c. BORGHESE 3,299,183

CO-VULCANIZABLE MIXES OF AN AMORPHOUS ETHYLENE-ALPHA OLEFIN GOPOLYMER AND POLYISOBUTYLENE AND VULCANIZED ELASTOMERS THEREOF HAVING LOW PEHMEABILITY TO GASES Filed Oct. 24, 1961 5 sheets-Sheet :5

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omzoaoloaoeomaovoroofial Jan. 17, 1967 c. RG SE 3,299,183

CO-VULCANIZABLE MIXES OF AMO OUS ETHYLENE-ALPHA OLEFIN GOPOLYMER AND POLYISOBUTYLENE AND VULCANIZED ELASTOMERS THEREOF 'HAVING LOW PERMEABILITY TO GASES Filed Oct. 24, 1961 5 Sheets-$heet 4 2 w 4' a 2;T 5j

Jan. 17, 1967 c. BORGHESE 3,299,183

CO-VULCANIZABLE MIXES OF AN AMORPHOUS ETHYLENE-ALPHA OLEFIN COPOLYMER AND POLYISOBUTYLENE AND VULCANIZED ELASTOMERS THEREOF HAVING LOW PERMEABILITY TO GASES Filed Oct. 24, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 5.

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POLYISOBUTENE. BY WT.

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent ()fiFice 3,299,183 Patented Jan. 17, 1967 3 299 183 CO-VULCANIZABLE hillXl-ES OF AN AMORPHOUS ETHYLENE-ALPHA OLEFIN CUPOLYMER AND POLYISOEUTYLENE AND VULCANlIZED ELAS- a rubber, exhibits certain desirable physico-chemical properties, the most important of which include very low permeability to gases and good resistance to chemical and weathering agents.

TOMERS THEREQF HAVING LQW PERMEABIL. 5 It is known that copolymers of ethylene with alpha- ITY T0 GASES olefins, more particularly ethylene-propylene and ethyl- Camillo Borghese, Terni, Italy, assignor to Montecatini ene-butene copolymers, can be cross-linked by heating in Edison S.p.A., Milan, Italy the presence of organic peroxides such as dialpha-cumyl F1191} i 561% 147,281 peroxide, tertiary butyl-cumyl peroxide, tetrachloro ter- Clalms pnomy: aPPhcatlon Italy, 1960 tiary butyl peroxide, etc. When the vulcanization is car- 10 Zg ried out in the presence of sulfur in preferably equimolecular amounts with respect to the peroxide and car- The present invention relates to co-vulcanizable mixes bon black other reinfofcing fillers, f synthetif l of olefinic copolymers and polymers. More particularly, ha V1ng y good 11166113111631 and lastlc Propeftles this invention relates to mixtures of copolymers of ethyl- 15 talned- Moreover, the r r Obtamed from an ethyleneene With alpha-olefins such as propylene and/or butene, Pmpylene or ethylene-butene P Y Q due t0 the Satuand of a polymer such as polyisobutylene, a d t l rated nature of the elastomer of which it consists, presents mers Obtained therefrom by covulcanization in the pres extraordinary qualities of resistance to chemical agents ence of organic peroxides and sulfur and/ or quinone type and Weathenngcompounds, with or without addition of reinforcing fillers, In Tab1e H some characlensllc data 15 reported, as stabilizers and pigments, which elastomers are charactertermlfled 0n Sheets 11021111164 Press at C for ized by a Very low permeability to gases as well as exce1 30 m nutes. The sheets contain different amounts of vullent mechanical properties camzmg agent. The sheets are vulcanized products made It is known that polyisobutene, due to its structure and l F thylene'proplilene p y r havlng a Mooney the fact that it is a completely saturated elastomer, can vlscoslty Index at 100 C of 50 (ASTM-D92L57 be cross-linked only with great difficulty and even then "f ethylene/Propylene molar Tatlo of The only to an insufficient positions are tabulated below:

United States Patent No. 2,748,104 and British Patent No. 725,905 disclose the possibility of cross-linking polyisobutylene by means of tertiary butyl peroxide with the addition of sulfur, and in a second stage (thus improving the cross-linking), with the addition of p-benzoquinone dioxime. However, the degree of cross-linking and the resulting mechanical characteristics are absolutely in- -t byweight] sufficient for imparting a rubber-like quality to the thustreated polyisobutene, and in fact this compound is not Mix A MiXB employed as a rubber.

In Table I the values Of various mechanical properties Copolymer (ethylene-propylene) 100 100 are reported as determined on polyisobutene mixes vul- 139) 2 canized with tertiary butyl peroxide and sulfur, with or (m- 1 0.3 without p-benzoquinone dioxime and the addition of reinforcing carbon black, under the optimum conditions described in the aforementioned patents.

TABLE I Mixes Elonga- Modulus Residual Tensile 1 tion at at 300% elonga- Components 1 2 strength kgJtm, ptglogflt Polyiosbutene 100 100 Mix1 94 850 1 94 Carbon black 50 Sulfur 2 2- Mix 2 97 730 25 2s Tertiary butyl peroxide. 5 5 I Quinoue dioxime 5 1 Scott in kg./c1n.

2 After 1 hour at 200% elongation; measured 1 minute after release.

N oTE.Vulcanized at 160 C. for minutes.

It is evident that the mechanical and elastomeric char- TABLE H acteristics are very low.

In the same patents it is also stated that the behavior si igii g t ii, @ttilii, a t at el iig t i ii, of tertiary butyl peroxide with polyisobutene, carbon kgJcnLZ percent fi 23F percent black and sulfur is unique in the sense that a great number of similar'chemical substances substituted therefore Mix A 152 1 QGHQO 4 did not induce cross-linking of polyisobutene. B 36M45 126 '6 On the other hand, polyisobutene, although not used as F a Careful determinations of the permeability to gases such as hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, carried out on films of cross-lined ethylene-propylene or ethylene-butene copolymer (without fillers) have however shown that As is known, swelling degree at equilibrium depends in a rather complicated manner on the degree of cross-linking, as described by the Flory-Huggins relation (Flory, Principles of Polymer Chemistry, page 580), but it can their permeability constants (at a temperature from about 5 be said approximately that the degree of swelling is in- 30 to 90 C.) are very high, and are higher than those versely proportional to the cross-linking. of the other cross-linked elastomers (without fillers) such From FIGURE 1, it appears that for both mixes C and as natural rubber, butadiene-styrene copolymer, isoprene- D, the behavior of the swelling degree is not linear, and i ut CODOIYITICIS, FIGURE 1 therefore shows good cross-linking even at An object of the present invention is to decrease the high proportions of polyisobutylene. gas permeability of copolymers of ethylene with alpha In Table III are reported not only the degree of swellolefins, particularly such alpha-olefins as propylene and ing at CCl but also other mechanical characteristics, i.e., butene. residual elongation after a 200% elongation, elongation Another object of the invention is to obtain new mixes at break, elastic modulus at 300%, tensile strength, for comprising an olefin polymer and a copolymer, more parcarbon-type mixes without the presence of reinforcing ticularly polyisobutylene and a copolymer of ethylene fillers. with propylene and/ or butene.

TABLE III Swelling Residual Elastic Polyisobutene, degree in elongation Elongation modulus Tensile percent by C014, after 200% at break, at 300%, strength weight percent elongation, percent lag/cm. kg./e1n.

percent 0 6. 35 Broken 310 8. 0 9. l 10 a. 75 15 370 8.3 10.1 7. 72 22 490 8. 6 14. 3 s. 15 22 575 a. 9 15. s s. 55 24 660 7. 3 16. s 50 9. 94 3a 600 5. 4 11. 6 00 11. so 34 620 5. 0 8. 8 70 14. e5 46 750 3.8 s. s so 14. 70 40 745 3. s 9. o 00 1s. 55 52 800 3. 1 4. 2 100 10. s0 56 1, 160 2. 5 4. 8

Surprisingly, such mixes can be co-vulcanized in the Example 2 tii iiifiiZ55553523122 fiftii ttitiitlifif323? to h w are h p sheets vulcanized in a press at 165 C. for 30 minutes, to produce elastomers havlng a very low permeablllty to these sheets havin the com osition of mix E gases and also having high mechanical characteristics. p In order to demonstrate that the high degree of gas impermeability of polyisobutene could be utilized to reduce the high permeability of ethylene-propylene or ethyleneunt by Weight MIX E MIX F butene copolymers, several covulcanization tests were carried out, either with or without reinforcing fillers, and copolymer (ethy1ene pmpy1ene) 100 X the matenals thus obtained were tested for gas perme- Polyisobntene (Vistanex L100)1 (Variable) (Variable) abilit Carbon black (HAF furnace). 50 Tert. butylcurnylperomde... 3 4 Unexpectedly, 1t has been found that nnxes contalmng 50 Sulfur 0.75 1 the two elastomers in any proportion can be covulcanized. Moreover, the vulcanization 0f the mixes iS better than 1 Having an intrinsic viscosity (measured in tetralgydronaphthaleie at that which could he hrhdichd from cross-hhkihg of liinefiat fintlthtfithrtaiittthtntgtathttawi s the slngle elastomers, 1.e., the cross-llnking remains conz i fi gi fi high proportions of From Table IV the diagram shown in FIGURE 2 was E; g g ilh'lstrated with reference to the prepared, which shows the values of residual elongation foll w'r i 318 le which should be considered illustra- (after holding for 1 hour with an elongation of {V 0 i g i f 200% and reading 1 minute after elastic recovery) of 1 e r 1 mixes E and F with increasing proportions of polyisobu- Example 1 tene (abscissae). From this figure it appears that a mix In FIGURE 1 are reported the values of the degree cgntammg, up E by Welght i QE Q SF swelling at equilibrium (in carbon tetrachloride at 30 i l e aslt.lc.recovery 0 a m er Wlt m com- C. for 48 hours) as a function of variable amounts of P 21 satitacwry lmlts' h 1 f 1 1 polyisobutene (British Standard 903-Part 27) for specii HIS f gi l resl e g mens prepared from sheets vulcanized in a press, cona 3; g ggigsg 32;; P0 ylso utene t at s'stin of mixes havin the followin com ositions:

1 g g g p The d1agrarn shown in FIGURE 3, also obtained from Table IV, shows the values of elongation at break (A. R.). Amounts y Weight Mix 0 MRI) The same observations apply as were made with respect to residual elongation. colpqlylgletr (ethylene-propylene) (V 5 9 3 gig g The values of elongation at break remain almost un- $g,, ;3 a;- mm 3 4 altered when the amount of polyisobutene varies from 0 Sulfur 1 to 60%; when the polyisobutylene is present in amounts greater than 60%, the value of elongation at break rises Nora-Vulcanized for 40 minutes at C. 75 idl TABLE IV Polyisobutene, Elongation Modulus Tensile Residual elongation percent by at break, at 300%, strength, after elongation at 200% weight percent kgJcm. kgJcmfl for 1 hour and reading after 1 min., percent Example 3 The permeability to oxygen at 30 to 90 C. was determined as described hereinafter on five mixes of copolymer and polyisobutene, vulcanized in a press at 165 C. for 30 minutes.

The composition of the five mixes was:

Mix No 1 I 2 3 4 4 5 Ethylene-propylene copolymer 75 50 25 0 Polyisobutene (Vistanex L) 0 25 50 75 100 Tertiary butyl eumyl peroxide 4 4 4 4 4 Sulfur 1 1 1 1 1 In Table V are reported the mechanical characteristics determined on sheets made from mixes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

TABLE V Mechanical properties Mixes Degree of swelling Tensile Elastic Elongation after permanence strength, modulus at break, for 24 hours in CC1 kg./crn. at 300%, percent at 30 0. percent kg/cm.

In Table VI are reported the coefiicients of permeability to oxygen at various temperatures for mixes No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 determined in cm. sec. atm.

TABLE VI Temperature Mixes 30 C 50 C. 70 C 90 C.

81. 9X10' 151. 0X10 242. 0X10- 37. 1X10 85.1)(10- 164. 2X10- 23. 8X10 43. 0X10 86. 2X10- 13. 5X10- 31. 1X10 79. 0X10- 8. 5X10" 17. 4X10 51. 8X10- The determinations of the permeability were carried out by the slightly modified method of G. I. van Amerongen (Rubber Chemistry and Technology, 1947, vol. XX, No. 2, page 479)which consists substantially of placing an elastomer membrane between two metallic chambers with a known pressure difference and then, after suitable stabilization of the diffusion and of the temperature, measuring the gas amount difiused therethrough per unit time. The values of Table VI are reported in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIGURE 4 shows the values of permeability constant Q (cm. sec. atm. (on the ordinate) as a function of the temperature (on the abscissae) for mix 1 (copolymer alone), mix 2 (25% of polyisobutene), mix 3 (50% of polyisobutene), mix 4 (75% of polyisobutene) and mix 5 (100% of polyisobutene).

From FIGURE 4 it appears that the permeability constant of the various mixes varies with the temperature in an exponential manner, according to the well known laws which regulate this phenomenon in the elastomers. (See e.g., R. Houwink: Elastomers and PlastomersI, page 310, Amsterdam, 1950.)

In constrast, in FIGURE 5, are reported the variations of the permeability constant Q The following three mixes were prepared and vulcanized (at C. for 40 minutes).

Mix No 6 7 8 Copolyiner (ethylene-butene) 100 50 0 Polyisobutene (Vistanex L) 0 50 100 Tertiary butyl eumyl peroxide 4 4 4 ulfur 1 1 No'rn.In the eopolymer the ethylene-butene molar ratio is 60:40; the molecular weight is 220,000; the Mooney viscosity (MLI+4100 C.) is 80.

The respective mechanical characteristics are:

Swelling degree in CO1, (24 hours at 30 0.),

percent 7. 4 10. 3 15, 1 Tensile strength, 12. 2 15. 3 4. 8 Modulus at 300%, lrgjcm. 9.8 6.4 2. 8 Elongation at break, percen 450 620 1, 430

The respective coeificients of permeability to oxygen are:

Coefficient Q in cmflxseer xatmr Temperature Mix 6 Mix 7 Mix 8 29.1 10' 8. 9X10 75. 0 10- 20. 2 10- 8. 5X10" 142. 7 10- 40. 8 10- 17. 4X10- 215 10' 95. 3 10- 51. 8X10- It is logical that, as confirmed by long experience, if the aforementioned mixes had been charged with carbon black, even lower permeability values would have been obtained.

In conclusion, according to the present invention it appears that the presence of polyisobutene with an ethylenepropylene or ethylene-butene copolymer unexpectedly affords the two following advantages, (1) with polyisobutene in an amount up to 60%, the mix is covulcanze-d satisfactorily and the mechanical characteristics of the ethylene-propylene or ethylene-butene copolymer remain unaltered, (2) with polyisobutene in an amount from 40% to 100%, vulcanized products having very good impermeability to gases are obtained.

Therefore, if an optimum range is desired which makes it possible to combine good mechanical properties with good properties of impermeability to gases, it is desirable to prepare covulcanized products containing from about 40 to 60% of polyisobutene in admixture with an ethylenealphaolefin copolymer.

On the other hand, for some technological problems relating to rubber it may be desirable to regulate the permeability in order to permit the exit of some gases but to avoid the entry of vapors, etc.; the addition of suitable amounts of polyisobutene to the mixes of copolymer makes it possible to attain this aim.

The copolymers used in the mixes and elastomers according to the invention have an ethylene content of from about 20 to 80 mole percent, a molecular weight of from about 30,000 to 1,000,000, and preferably from about 80,000 to 200,000.

Variations can of course be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure and hereby claim is:

1. A co-vulcanizable mixture comprising at least one saturated elastomeric amorphous copolymer of ethylene with an alphaolefin selected from the group consisting of propylene and butene, and solid polyisobutene in an amount up to about 60% by weight of the copolymerpolyisobutene mixture, and at least a vulcanizing amount of sulfur and organic peroxide, said copolymer contain ing from about 20 to 80 mole percent of ethylene and having a molecular weight of from about 30,000 to 1,000,000.

2. The co-vulcanizable mixture of claim 1 wherein the alpha-olefin is propylene.

3. The co-vulcanizable mixture of claim 1 wherein the alpha-olefin is butene.

4. The co-vulcanizable mixture of claim 1 wherein a quinone compound selected from the group consisting of p-benzoquinone dioxime and quinone dioxime, a reinforcing filler, a stabilizer, and pigment are incorporated therein.

5. The mixture of claim 1 wherein said organic peroxide is tertiarybutyl cumyl peroxide.

6. An elastomer vulcanized with at least a vulcanizing amount of an organic peroxide and sulfur and containing an elastomeric amorphous copolymer of ethylene with an alpha-olefin selected from the group consisting of propylene and butene, and solid polyisobutene in an amount up to about by weight of the copolymer-polyisobw tene mixture, said copolymer containing from about 20 to mole percent of ethylene and having a molecular weight of from about 30,000 to 1,000,000, said elastomer being characterized by relatively high impermeability to gases and excellent mechanical characteristics.

7. The elastomer of claim 6 in which is incorporated a filler, stabilizer, and pigment.

8. The elastomer of claim 6 wherein said organic peroxide is tertiarybutyl cumyl peroxide.

9. An elastomer vulcanized with at least a vulcanizing amount of an organic peroxide and sulfur and containing an elastomeric amorphous copolymer of ethylene with an alpha-olefin selected from the group consisting of propylene and butene, and solid polyisobutene in an amount from about 40 to 60% by weight of the copolymer-polyisobutene mixture, said copolymer containing from about 20 to 80 mole percent of ethylene and having a molecular weight of from about 30,000 to 1,000,000, said elastomer being characterized by excellent mechanical characteristics coupled with a high impermeability to gases.

10. The elastomer of claim 9 in which is incorporated a filler, stabilizer, and pigment.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,383,839 8/1945 Beek'ley 260-79.5 2,710,291 6/1955 Little 260-795 2,748,109 5/1956 ViOhl 26079.5 2,927,104 3/1960 Small et al 26094.8 2,993,876 7/1961 McGlamery 26045.95 3,012,016 12/1961 Kirk et a1. 26079.5 3,012,020 12/1961 Kirk et al. 28088.2 3,047,552 7/1962 Reynolds et a1 26088.2 3,074,616 1/1963 Martivovich et al 22953 3,093,614 7/1963 Mackenzie et al 2604l 3,097,150 7/1963 Rainer et a1. 204154 OTHER REFERENCES Ito: 57 CA 1034i, 1960 Chemical Abstract, vol. 57 (1960).

JOSEPH L. SCHOFER, Primary Examiner.

R. A. BURROUGHS, M. P. HENDRICKSON, E. J.

SMITH, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A CO-VULCANIZABLE MIXTURE COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE SATURATED ELASTOMERIC AMORPHOUS COPOLYMER OF ETHYLENE WITH AN ALPHAOLEFIN SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PROPYLENE AND BUTENE, AND SOLID POLYISOBUTENE IN AN AMOUNT UP TO ABOUT 60% BY WEIGHT OF THE COPOLYMERPOLYISOBUTENE MIXTURE, AND AT LEAST A VULCANIZING AMOUNT OF SULFUR AND ORGANIC PEROXIDE, SAID COPOLYMER CONTAINING FROM ABOUT 20 TO 80 MOLE PERCENT OF ETHYLENE AND HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF FROM ABOUT 30,000 TO 1,000,000. 